From the Gilded Age to Tea Bagger Rage, a Romp through the Recent Episodes of the Class War in America

Image: Capitalism by ~Cubist-Assassin64

Protectionism. Capitalists were all for it before they were against it. When manufacturing took place in America, when they paid workers enough to buy the products they produced, adding a tariff/tax/fee on to the cost of imported goods made by these same manufacturers’ competitors overseas, was fine. It just made sense. It was good business to prevent your domestic market from being flooded with cheaper goods from overseas, because that would lower domestic manufacturing’s ability to make enough money to stay in business. And this is exactly how the British and the Americans built their global empires.

But when “free trade” was elevated to the god of the marketplace, when American manufacturers had the ability to locate manufacturing overseas in order to take advantage (and I do mean take advantage) of “cheap labor platforms” – that is, to stand on the backs of poor people in other countries who had no choice but to work at a rate far below American workers, who, after all, were Americans and had come to expect a “fair” share of the wealth they created with their labor in the form of wages – well then, all bets were off.

After 8 years of the Bush-Cheney nightmare during which we saw the wanton destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq, the cynical negation of centuries of Law designed to protect the most basic human rights and a foreign policy worthy of Genghis Khan, there came along the “Great Black Hope” in the persona of Barack Obama. The collective world consciousness turned uncritically to what was presented as a new era for peace, change and trust in Government.

Never before had one witnessed such an accomplished use of manipulation, propaganda, imagery and public relations wizardry to sell the public a man who was to take the baton from Bush and run with it in the race to destroy the economy, the rights of the people and help birth a nation totally controlled by those who have always lurked in the shadows of power. “Change” was promised and was delivered in the form of a deepening of the already Dystopic nightmare.

This is the sixth and final article on Ellen Brown’s superb 2007 book titled “Web of Debt,” now updated in a December 2008 third edition. It tells “the shocking truth about our money system, (how it) trapped us in debt, and how we can break free.” This article focuses on establishing a people-oriented banking system. It’s high time we had one and reclaimed what’s rightfully ours.

Restoring National Sovereignty with A Truly National Banking System

One serving everyone, not powerful moneychangers alone, the so-called Money Trust cartel of Wall Street bankers looting the national wealth for themselves and heading the country for bankruptcy, tyranny and ruin. Stopping them is Job One, and only mass activist outrage can do it.

At the Chicago Democratic National Convention, William Jennings Bryan won the nomination saying:

American defense secretary tells NBC television president has instructed him to refresh plans for military action against Tehran prepared during Bush era. ‘Presidents always ask their military to have a range of contingency plans available to them,’ he says

WASHINGTON – Technical or offensive move? US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Friday that President Barack Obama had asked him to update the plans for the use of military force against Iran which were prepared during former President George W. Bush’s term.

In an interview to NBC television’s Today show, the American defense secretary explained that “presidents always ask their military to have a range of contingency plans available to them. And all I would say is that, as a result of our dialogue with the president, we have refreshed our plans and all options are on the table.”

[…]

But he did not suggest the United States should take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He echoed the Obama administration’s policy that big powers should work together to persuade Iran not to pursue a nuclear bomb and halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons generally.

Iran announced on Wednesday that it had successfully tested its Sejil 2 surface-to-surface missile, and Western media sources took the opportunity to portray the Middle Eastern nation as a threat to world peace and, specifically, as a threat to Israel.

The Seijl 2 missile has a range of about 1,200 miles, and thus would be capable of hitting Israel, but Iran’s President Ahmadinejad announced in a speech following what he deemed a successful test that the missile’s purpose was to protect Iran from the threat of aggression.

Still, media accounts in the U.S. and other Western nations portrayed Iran’s test as a threatening provocation and linked it to an Iranian nuclear weapons program there is no evidence actually exists.

The London Times’ headline alarmingly read “Ahmadinejad claims Iran’s new missile is capable of hitting Israel”.

I realize that I don’t know everything, nobody can. I will say though, when it comes to this so-called “debate” between former VP Cheney and President Obama, It is true that I was born at night, but I wasn’t born last night. I also know that when you hold a debate, the debate must be “framed” by the debaters. In this case, both Cheney and Obama were arguing for just about the same thing. Let me take their arguments apart.

Obama said that there are those that want to do everything imaginable to keep America safe and there are those that want an independent prosecutor to review everything the previous administration has done in regards to torture. He says that the country has the elements under the Constitution to take care of any indiscretion that has occurred.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich D-OH, who led opposition to the war in Iraq and introduced legislation to impeach both Vice President Dick Cheney and President George Bush, made the following statement in response to an address by Mr. Cheney at the American Enterprise Institute today:

“Today, Mr. Cheney gave a speech that immediately followed an address in which the President addressed his plans for prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. In his speech, Mr. Cheney argued that the events of 9/11 ‘justify a sustained wartime effort.’

“Mr. Cheney is wrong. The tragic events of 9/11 did not justify war in Iraq. In fact, Mr. Cheney and others in the Bush administration manipulated the understandable shock and fear felt after the attacks of 9/11 to launch an unjustified war against Iraq.

“Mr. Cheney also argued that the torture of captives held at Guantanamo Bay was justified because it extracted information from our enemies. Again, Mr. Cheney is wrong. America’s moral standing in the world has undoubtedly diminished, as “Gitmo” has become an internationally recognized synonym for unlawful and immoral state action. Torture does not protect us; it surrenders that which makes us great.”

Kucinich added, “It is time that Mr. Cheney was brought before Congress and the American people to testify under oath to explain his false claims of weapons of mass destruction and his false claim of a link between Iraq and 9/11. Americans are waiting for the truth. He should not be permitted to hide behind the rhetoric of fear.”

In common use language “liberal” is synonymous with words like ‘generous’ as in “grandma is always very liberal with the gravy on her turkey”. Or it can mean ‘flexible’ as in “the club’s acceptance policy is very liberal”.

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The Senate voted to save net neutrality. Now we need the House of Representatives to do the same, or else the FCC will let ISPs like Comcast and Verizon ruin the internet with throttling, censorship and unnecessary fees. Click the image below to write to Congress.

The Golden Rule

“That which is hateful to you do not do to another ... the rest (of the Torah) is all commentary, now go study.” - Rabbi Hillel

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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